Marion @ Ridgeview

[redtiger 1,742]

The Wolfpack had a good game against Battle; very stout Defense and a strong running game, passing game was ok.

 

I dont know a whole lot about Marion other than they have struggled this year.

 

Just going by what ive heard I would say Ridgeview is the favorite

 

 

Directions to Ridgeview (the way I would go)

 

Go through Abingdon and take whichever exit youre comfortable with and make your way to 58W. Follow 58W to Hansonville and turn LEFT at the light to continue on 58W. Continue through Castlewood (through both lights) to St Paul. In St Paul turn RIGHT at the first light you come onto 63. Continue through town to the next light, at this one turn RIGHT to stay on 63, continue for about 25 miles (you will go over Dante Mountain(slow winding climb up, easy straight decline) and through Trammel, Nora and McClure(all very small communities). Eventually 63 ends in a T intersection with 83, at this intersection turn LEFT. Immediately you will cross a large bridge and the road widens to a 3 lane(the passing lane is not on your side) and you will begin to climb another mountain, one sharp left hand curve and a VERY sharp right hand curve. At the top of the mountain(just past the 2nd curve) turn RIGHT onto 637 Rose Ridge Road, there will be a lot of road work but it should be done by the time you get there. The school is about a mile from this turnoff on the left, theres a sign up now, you cant miss it.

 

Most of the available parking is at the front of the school but its about 400 yards to the stadium entrance(park then go left around the school). You can also park behind the school, continue left around the school and take the gravel road on the left(large field) or continue around past the stadium to the baseball and softball field(there will be people directing traffic). They try to hold the closest parking spots for people that have difficulty walking. From the entrance the visitor side is to the right of the field.

 

Safe travels.

[Canes00 434]

The Wolfpack had a good game against Battle; very stout Defense and a strong running game, passing game was ok.

 

I dont know a whole lot about Marion other than they have struggled this year.

 

Just going by what ive heard I would say Ridgeview is the favorite

 

 

Directions to Ridgeview (the way I would go)

 

Go through Abingdon and take whichever exit youre comfortable with and make your way to 58W. Follow 58W to Hansonville and turn LEFT at the light to continue on 58W. Continue through Castlewood (through both lights) to St Paul. In St Paul turn RIGHT at the first light you come onto 63. Continue through town to the next light, at this one turn RIGHT to stay on 63, continue for about 25 miles (you will go over Dante Mountain(slow winding climb up, easy straight decline) and through Trammel, Nora and McClure(all very small communities). Eventually 63 ends in a T intersection with 83, at this intersection turn LEFT. Immediately you will cross a large bridge and the road widens to a 3 lane(the passing lane is not on your side) and you will begin to climb another mountain, one sharp left hand curve and a VERY sharp right hand curve. At the top of the mountain(just past the 2nd curve) turn RIGHT onto 637 Rose Ridge Road, there will be a lot of road work but it should be done by the time you get there. The school is about a mile from this turnoff on the left, theres a sign up now, you cant miss it.

 

Most of the available parking is at the front of the school but its about 400 yards to the stadium entrance(park then go left around the school). You can also park behind the school, continue left around the school and take the gravel road on the left(large field) or continue around past the stadium to the baseball and softball field(there will be people directing traffic). They try to hold the closest parking spots for people that have difficulty walking. From the entrance the visitor side is to the right of the field.

 

Safe travels.

 

I'm looking forward to coming over and yeah Ridgeview wins by 20+

[Bigrhsfan 884]

Have to say that it looks like Ridgeview in this one.

 Been a tough year for the guys in Hurricane land,  hey Canes00,  how are things setting up for you guys next year ?  Do you have a lot of good young talent coming back,  or are you looking at maybe another year or 2 ?

I haven't got to watch you guys play this year and know very little about ya.

[LongTimeSWVAFan 36]

Ridgeview will win out and go to the playoffs with a ton of momentum. To me, the interesting thing will be how much they throw it down the stretch. To beat good teams they have to be able to pass, they did it against GC but struggled to throw it against Central and Union.

[Ryan4VT 4,557]

If they win out, they could get to the 13 seed and have a trip to Richlands in the first round. Really, any seed lower than 10th is gonna garner a very tough first round matchup for any team. 

[Canes00 434]

Have to say that it looks like Ridgeview in this one.

 Been a tough year for the guys in Hurricane land,  hey Canes00,  how are things setting up for you guys next year ?  Do you have a lot of good young talent coming back,  or are you looking at maybe another year or 2 ?

I haven't got to watch you guys play this year and know very little about ya.

 

We are about 2 years away from being pretty good again. I think we have only 6 seniors on the whole team and a ton of sophmores and we have some talent on the 8th grade team. It's been a tough year but we've stuck by them and will continue no matter what 

[fb-fan24263 12]

RV should win this one by at least 2 TDs . I believe RV will win their next 2 games easy.

[redtiger 1,742]

Ridgeview will win out and go to the playoffs with a ton of momentum. To me, the interesting thing will be how much they throw it down the stretch. To beat good teams they have to be able to pass, they did it against GC but struggled to throw it against Central and Union.

The passing concepts being employed now are drastically different that what was being used against Central and Union. The QB, Mullins, has come a long way.

 

Coach Mullins has adapted the Offense to fit the talent on the team, this change started in the Lee game and is ongoing. The Offense isint the strong point of the team but its not a liability anymore, its not ineffective. 

 

He has also started rotating his best players in on Defense which has ad a very positive impact 

[cwood78 161]

Yea, tiger, we're getting there, our teams are so used to playing both ways,,,and some do....coaches,players,fans,we ALL are learning..

[LongTimeSWVAFan 36]

How's the talent level for Ridgeview in the younger ages? How's the JV doing?

[redtiger 1,742]

JV has had a hard go of it from what I hear but some of the better Freshmen are seeing significant playing time on Varsity and are not participating in JV. There are several young players doing very well including a Freshmen RB, WR and our Sophomore QB. The problem I see arising is size on the line, there isint a lot coming up. The OL/DL isint big now and the size we have is graduating this year. Next year might be a lean year but with dedicated work in the weightroom I think they can be solid going forward.

[hhstigers7327 217]

JV has had a hard go of it from what I hear but some of the better Freshmen are seeing significant playing time on Varsity and are not participating in JV. There are several young players doing very well including a Freshmen RB, WR and our Sophomore QB. The problem I see arising is size on the line, there isint a lot coming up. The OL/DL isint big now and the size we have is graduating this year. Next year might be a lean year but with dedicated work in the weightroom I think they can be solid going forward.

The fans at Honaker feel you pain redtiger! Our offensive line looks like we have three wide receivers playing there. This may be the smallest line we have had in 20 years I know for sure but it might be the smallest ever. We have surely learned the hard way that being small and young are not a good combo at all.

 

I have to admit when I was reading all of you guys talk about burtons offensive and defensive lines I was thinking there is no way. Wow those guys were impressive! They pushed Honaker where they wanted to.

[SWVAFB 218]

Marion record is not good, but they will give you a fit. Their offense is not bad at all, especially with the Sharpe kid, who can run with the best. Marion's problem is more on defense. Canes said it best: Marion is a few years away from being right there with the best again. Look for a game in the first half, but Ridgeview will wear Marion down in the 2nd half. Best of luck to both teams.

[redtiger 1,742]

JIBs crew up front is very good. The Center is small but the others are big and move well. Dominant OL for 1A. My concern is those big boys all play both ways and some play on special teams too. Don't wanna wear them down too much.

 

I expect a hard fought game from Marion. Ridgeview isint good enough to have it easy against anyone. Right now Ridgeviews strength is their Defense and the Offense is coming along. If Marions strength is their Offense then im hoping for a good matchup!

[Counts 156]

JV has had a hard go of it from what I hear but some of the better Freshmen are seeing significant playing time on Varsity and are not participating in JV. There are several young players doing very well including a Freshmen RB, WR and our Sophomore QB. The problem I see arising is size on the line, there isint a lot coming up. The OL/DL isint big now and the size we have is graduating this year. Next year might be a lean year but with dedicated work in the weightroom I think they can be solid going forward.

the size is in the 8th grade they have some really big boys there I just hope that they are really big boys that are good ball players because that makes all the difference

[redtiger 1,742]

the size is in the 8th grade they have some really big boys there I just hope that they are really big boys that are good ball players because that makes all the difference

Gotta get them in the weightroom!    Any idea who will be handling the strength program?

[Plywood_King 518]

Ridgeview wins this one, but closer than the experts will predict. Marion has yet to play a complete game this year; at times their offense has been on fire and their defense has let them down, and at times the defense has been stout and their offense has been anemic. Their backs (Ford and Marston) have started to catch fire since they've begun incorporating the I-formation, but the team has let close games get away from them in the fourth quarter all year, mainly because of inexperience and a lack of size. This is easily the smallest Marion team in recent memory, not to mention they have an entire stable of underclassmen skill position players.

Marion doesn't play coalfield/plateau teams all that often, but they almost always tend to play "up" when they do--ask the folks in Big Stone Gap. I would guess that it will be close until the fourth, and Ridgeview pulls it out. 

 

Oh, and don't worry Tiger, you all should see a much better Marion team when you all cross Clinch next year ;)

[Chappy 72]

Plywood, I know Marion's enrollment is around 660.  With those numbers why is there only about 30 players on the team?  I know the band numbers have been droping the last few years also whats going on, on the other side of Walker Mountain?

 

Ridgeview pulls it out in the 4th quarter.

[Plywood_King 518]

They don't dress the majority of their JV, but still, the numbers are very, very low. Marion has four feeder elementary schools, and because all but one of them are County schools, their allegiances are to Sugar Grove, Atkins, etc. Because of that, the elementary schools, and even Middle School, puts forth no effort into building a sense of community for the kids before they get to high school. Any given Friday, if you go ask the kids in the student section what grade they're in, they're almost all seniors because it takes that long to build a sense of pride in the school. That, coupled with low rec department numbers in the mid-to-late '00s, has put Marion in the position it's in now. If you get to high school without ever playing the sport, it's rare that those kids will suddenly start playing, no matter how good the team is, although it does happen occasionally. Erin Garrison was an All-State player last year in his first season playing the sport. 

It's almost astonishing looking at Marion and Northwood's sidelines during the "War for Walker Mountain." With how much bigger Northwood is, both in numbers and physical size, you'd never believe that Marion had twice the students of the Panthers. But the smaller a school gets, the more pride comes built in. It's amazing how much more enthused the community around Marion has gotten for football season since the enrollment has dropped over the past few years, and looking at rec involvement, and the number of underclassmen that are on the team and playing, it's a pretty good sign that Marion's numbers will improve over the next few years.

[big ugly vol 92]

I think the coaches handle the weight room at ridgeview. Mainly coach Grant and Mullins.

 

Gotta get them in the weightroom! Any idea who will be handling the strength program?

[redtiger 1,742]

I knew that's how they handled it at Clintwood but I was unsure of how Ridgeview would run it. Personally I wish they had someone who was solely responsible for the weigh troom with the HC and assistant HC very involved but it is what it is.

[SWVAFB 218]

Ridgeview High school is missing a great opportunity for their football program.I have never met Redtiger, but it seems like I know the guy just by reading his post on this site. He seems like the type of guy that would go through hell and high water for his team.I have no idea what he does, but schools needs a " Redtiger" on their staff. If I was Ridgeview, I would make room for this guy and put him to work.

I really believe he would make a very positive contribution to the new program. Just my thoughts.

[cwood78 161]

Same here, he would be a great asset to the program.

Heck, i live across the mountain from tiger, probably know him lol

[redtiger 1,742]

Ridgeview High school is missing a great opportunity for their football program.I have never met Redtiger, but it seems like I know the guy just by reading his post on this site. He seems like the type of guy that would go through hell and high water for his team.I have no idea what he does, but schools needs a " Redtiger" on their staff. If I was Ridgeview, I would make room for this guy and put him to work.

I really believe he would make a very positive contribution to the new program. Just my thoughts.

My job is and always has been to support my program and im glad to do that in whatever capacity I can. For now, im a fan(and a very outspoken one)

[SWVAFB 218]

Good employees are hard to find. In the case of Ridgeview, it's going to take a while for the team to jell. I can see someone with the knowledge of Redtiger to help develop this program, and work with the staff to help the kids adjust also. I was a school board member for six years in my county, and I certainly would consider him for a position on the staff.